Customer Reviews

Backgrounds of Early Christianity

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this one on a whim, thought it might have an interesting section or two. I ended up reading the thing cover to cover.

In a field where lots of books are hard to read because they're poorly written, this one is exceptionally well organized, clearly written and easy to read.

It also covers all the subject, from Greco-Roman political history, through Hellenistic-Roman religions and philosophies, on to an excellent section on Judaism and another on early Christianity. Even if you're not an early Church buff, the book is a good introduction to ancient culture.

It's honest. It's written by a proff at a Christian university, but it doesn't slant the scholarship. For eg it gives a good accounting of both sides of the modern scholarship on the contributions of pagan Mystery Religions to the Church, and the _testimonium Falvianum_ is treated fairly -- and dismissed as a later interpolation.

Each section lists a number of books for further reading -- very useful.

A great book!!

This is a fact filled book that will be a good study tool to learn about the new testament background. Covers many aspects of Greco-Roman culture such as politics, social customs, religious beliefs, philosophical beliefs, etc. Also covers Jewish beliefs of the new testament era as well. Sometimes ties in subject matter with the new testament content. A gold mine of information. Well researched by a good scholar, this book just reports the facts. Reads almost like an encylopaedia, and as such it is a good reference book. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 simply because it is a bit of a dry read, but I guess that's the nature of a reference work. For similar, but shorter and easier reads, check out The World That Shaped The New Testament by Calvin Roetzel and also, Exploring The New Testament World by Albert A. Bell.

This book is an excellent introduction to the historical, cultural, social, economic, and political backgrounds of the times before, during, and after the beginnings of Christianity, i.e., from 330 B.C. to A.D. 330, from Alexander the Great to Constantine. It superbly complements the study of the New Testament. It has helped me attempt to make concepts in the Gospels concrete which, at first, seemed to be abstact.

This is THE book on NT backgrounds. Ferguson gives you a broad sweep of nearely everything you need to know when studying hte NT and an extensive bibliography of additional resources for picking up the rest. I read this book early on in my carreer and still refer to it almost weekly. In the more specialized material I now study, his work is the basis that allows me to understand it. In short, if you read nothing else on NT backgrounds, read this. If your going to enter into advanced study of NT backgrounds, read this first. I even reccomend this book to 'lay' churchmembers without any theological training. It is simply the best.

The next best thing to Fergusson is C. K. Barrett, "NT Background: Selected Documents." This is a collection of excerpts from 1st Century primary sources. Still, READ FERGUSON FIRST!

This isn't the easiest reading book in the world. But it is a wonderful bird's eye view of the cultural, political, religious, and social world in which Christianity came into being. You learn about the Romans, the Greeks, the Jewish people, and a myriad of other peoples who populated the Roman empire. This book is essential toward an understanding of the backgrounds of early Christianity.

I read this cover-to-cover. It was easy to read, and mostly very interesting. It is written for a wide, general audience, and does not make assumptions about the beliefs of the reader. The articles are moderately long, with nice hierarchical subheadings. I am eager to learn more about the interpenetration of Judaism and Hellenism in the actual origins and formation of Christianity.

This work, now in its third edition, remains the best and most comprehensive textbook available about the world in which the New Testament was born. Just about every subject you would want to know about is included, such as writing in the ancient world, apocryphal literature and Hellenist and Roman philosophy in addition to political history. It contains charts, photographs and maps. The bibliographies are excellent and not too long.

Another work, which covers some of the material but is a bit more manageable in length is Jeffers' THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ERA.

For study of the background of the New Testament, this is a great place to begin. It is readable and interesting. The material is well-organized as well. I highly recommend it.

Today I finished reading Ferguson's well rounded and extensive collection of perspectives into the culture leading up to the writing of the New Testament (620 pages). Early Christianity entered at a time of stability government, a day of active religious expression, an age when travel was opening up around the Eurasian world. Ferguson does a fabulous job of setting the political stage (Greek conquest through the Roman Emperors of the first century), thoroughly displaying the society and culture and the religion, then delving into the philosophical setting of the times, discussing Judaism in Greco-Roman culture, and more briefly covering factors touching Christianity in the ancient world. The reader is left to judge the truth of this young faith that turned the world upside-down.

The reviewer appreciated the helpful pictures of ancient sculpture, architecture, manuscripts, and other artifacts that helped to put the perspectives together in reality. It was also very refreshing to find a work that did not force the reader on the conclusions of the author about Christianity itself. This introductory work was well documented and very valuable to acquaint the researcher and student with the basics of life leading up to the days of Jesus Christ.

The reviewer would recommend this book to students, as well as the reader wanting to get introduced to the world of the New Testament. The reading is dry at times, but it is well written and succeeds in tying into New Testament study. Ferguson gives good context for a fuller understanding of the actions and reactions that the Early church had in the Greco-Roman empire.

Ferguson does a great job at presenting the information in such a way that the reader is able to understand and still gather a considerable amount of information. I am currently using this book, as well as two atlases, for a Greco-Roman survey class and appreciate the simple, to-the-point aspect of his book. The professor really could have just used this book by itself, instead of using all three.